Giveaway Winners and a Happy Belated Mother's Day!

By Crabby McSlacker

So first off, thanks to everyone who stopped by to comment on our book giveaway here at the blog, or on Facebook, or even via direct email, an option a few of you chose. I've assigned y'all numbers and am going to fire up the ol' random number generator in a minute. Isn't it exciting when I do this in Real Time?

Yeah, so ok, I guess if I don't hit "publish" until the whole post is written, you're not reading this yet, so it's more like Surreal Time, but work with me here.

But before I spin the Big Virtual Interweb Roulette Wheel, I just want to acknowledge all the awesome mothers out there, my own and everyone's everywhere including YOU if you fit that description!

I don't have kids myself. Having carefully considered the job responsibilities and remuneration and having concluded "no f#cking way," I have nothing but admiration for all you out there who took the job on, and perform all the daily heroics required to do it properly.

For the record, I think it's shitty you only get one day of recognition.

Hell, today is apparently National Nylon Stocking Day and National Chocolate Chip day. They get the same amount of time you Mom's do?

So let's pretend the fact I'm a day late is really because I'm giving you another additional Mother's day. Round those kids up and tell them to make you another burnt-toast breakfast, and tell Hubby you're eating out again tonight, damn it, because Crabby said it's the new Law.

Anyway, in honor of your extra day,  before we get to the giveaway winners, here are two belated Mother's day-related links:

Are you following Vita Train for Life yet?  She's always a fun and inspiring read, and you may want to check out the Eight Reasons She's Not a Real Parent.

And for the Other Mothers out there, whose children may not be human but are nearly as demanding? Here's a video that already been all over the Web because as usual I'm the last to see these things. But whatever.

Okay, so now let's get down to Giveaway Business.

Who won Elizabeth Babcock's most excellent book Why We Overeat and How to Stop?

Why We Overeat and How to Stop: Book Giveaway!

image: clipartfest

By Crabby McSlacker

Does anyone else out there struggle with eating too much, or eating the wrong things, or not feeling sufficiently motivated to exercise?

Even those of us with fancy degrees and initials after our names, who've studied this stuff extensively for decades and know exactly what we should be doing... we often screw it up just as badly as anyone else does.  We may even be in the "healthy weight" range, yet only manage it with much unnecessary angst, inconsistency, martyrdom, acting out, and ill-tempered griping.

So WTF is up with that? Why can't our highly evolved brains save us from self-defeating decisions? And how do we best deal with the seemingly ridiculous problem of not being able to control our own behavior?

Elizabeth Babcock's Why We Overeat and How to Stop isn't a magical solution to overeating. Alas, there is no magical solution. But I think it's as good a book as I've ever read on the subject, and I found myself with many new helpful insights into my cherished but often maladaptive ways. She provided a number of new strategies and practical tips , as well as the motivational boost that comes from taking a fresh look at old assumptions.

Bottom line: I'd highly recommend you buy the book. But heck, you might as well try to win it for free first, right? We've got a physical copy if you like (and are from the U.S.) but also have an (admittedly low-tech) electronic option, so as not to leave out folks who are not from the United States.

So, what's so great about it and why do I recommend it so highly? And how do you win a copy?

Altra Shoe Giveaway! And Torin and Intuition 3 "Zero Drop" Walking Shoe Review

By Crabby McSlacker

So I scored some Altra Torin and Intuition 3 shoes to review, yay! (And, in the interests of full disclosure, got to keep them).  And, better yet: one lucky Cranky Fitness reader can win a pair of Altra's of their choice. Cool, no?

But those of you who are already hip to Altra's are probably going: WTF, Crabby?  The Torin's and Intuitions are running shoes, not walking shoes, you misinformed nincompoop!

Elimination Diets, Food Allergies and Giveaway!

Do you or a loved one ever suffer from unpleasant reactions to the foods you eat?

For some people, the culprits are clear. If you break out into hives and lose the ability to breathe every time you eat peanuts or shellfish, you probably are pretty freakin' well aware of this and do everything you can to avoid these triggers.

However, for many of us, symptoms are vaguer. (Let's just say massive and almost comical postprandial bloating, purely hypothetically). And perhaps the episodes are more variable or sporadic. And also, not so clearly attributable to one specific food.

Anyone want some helpful information on that?

As it happens, we have a giveaway of two copies of Maggie Moon's Elimination Diet Workbook. And Canadians are eligible too!

So what's the deal with elimination diets, and why might you want to win or buy a copy of this book for yourself or an intolerant loved one?

Scale Giveaway Winner

By Starving Bitch
As promised, we are going to give away the scale from the Review we did here, Cranky didn't run away with your prize, I tackled her at the border with it and I have now secured the goods and am ready to give it to the lucky winner.


The Lucky winner is....drumroll please......

Yay Therese. Congratulations. Please make sure to contact Cranky within the next few days at crabby mcslacker at gmail.com and let her know your address so we can get this mailed out to you.

And if you didn't win but want to check out the discount, follow this link for Amazon and the coupon code GURUS020 and the coupon code will be available until the end of April.

Weight Gurus Scale: Review and Giveaway

(Photo above swiped from website.

It doesn't actually look much like this.)

Review by Starving Bitch

StarvingBitch here with another Review of a product that the gallivanting Cranky was unable to play with herself. I suppose frolicking with Lions, Tigers and Bears was more fun than doing a review.

So here I am. Decided to pull out the paperwork and sit down and read it while I wolfed down some Mexican Lasagna for lunch followed by some slightly stale yellow peeps for dessert. Because if nothing, I am committed to this weight loss journey.

So the nice folks over at  Weight Gurus, sent me a weightless series basic body scale.  (Note: they've got a special discount going during launch and an additional $5 off coupon for Cranky Fitness readers for a total of 50% off MSRP, if you decide you're interested).

The introduction in the manual was a great quote "The past does not predict, nor does it dictate your future." I'm such a quote whore that I really just fell in love with that. It falls right in line to my thinking of no matter how much I get knocked down I keep getting up and trying. That's all you can do in life.

Giveaway: Rick Hanson's Hardwiring Happiness and The FBG's Anti-Diet Book!

By Crabby McSlacker

So today we have a giveaway featuring 3 copies of each of these fine books...

So SIX Winners!

Plus the giveaway includes Canadians!

And yeah, this is the weirdest blog post formatting ever, and I shudder to think what happens on a mobile phone, but I couldn't figure out any other way to not put one book "on top" and the other "below."

Both are well-written helpful books by writers I'm already quite fond of: The "Fit Bottomed Girls," (Jennipher Walters and Erin Whitehead), and Rick Hanson.  So it would bug me not to treat them equally--even though I know the authors themselves don't give a f... um, fig! who goes on top.

At first glance these titles might seem to have nothing to do with one another. So one might wonder why on earth I've combined them for this giveaway.  (Aside from the fact they have the same publisher, which I did NOT know until after I already decided to put them together.)

But there's actually something interesting they have in common:

Waitin' for the Coffee to Kick In

image: Alsis35

Anyone else feeling a bit slow this fine Friday?  It's a good thing Research Nancy found some health benefits of coffee yesterday because I am definitely snorfing up a big ol' pot of it this morning. If anyone else is spinning their wheels a bit, how 'bout distracting yourself with a few random links before getting down to business?

And an update for those of you who have been kind enough to inquire: Actually, I'm feeling much, much better in these last couple of days! I've gotten back 90% of my energy, ditched the headaches, and reduced the coughing considerably.

However, my lungs still seem to have a fair amount of muck in there and it still hurts like hell when I do cough.  Which means I feel like have to take a pass on cardio, other than walking around, until normal respiratory function resumes.  This is not a wonderful as it sounds!  I get kinda cranky when I can't run around a little.

I'll give it through the weekend to improve, then it might be time to check in with an actual physician. And as to the cold vs flu question: I'm firmly convinced flu. Because otherwise I'd feel like a total ass for dragging this out so long.

(On the plus side: my voice is kinda low and sexy now! I think if I were ever gonna try to cover any Melissa Etheridge tunes on a wild night at karaoke, this would be my week).

Somebody Bring Me Some Water! And some Mucinex and Advil and tea...

photo: wikipedia

Anyway, on with the show!

Goal Setting From the Heart; Polar HRM Giveaway

Yep, this is another Goal Post!

Which means it's time for another chance for clever and inspiring Cranketeers to chat and offer support around our various goals.

Are your goals perennial old favorites that you return to time and again? Or are they all fresh and new and shiny? Are they easy-peasey no-brainers, or are they awe-inspiring challenges or are they just plain crazy-ass outrageous?

It's all good!  I'll be very curious about how the last part of February went and what you're all up to in March.

As it happens, my thoughts on goal setting aren't really all that "from the heart."  It's honestly more of a "head' than "heart" post. But hell, "Goals From the Head" doesn't fit in very well thematically since we're just about at the end of National Please Don't Croak From A Heart Attack Month*** plus we've got a nifty Polar FT7 Heart Rate monitor to give away designed to keep your ticker tickin' throughout the year.

NutriPro Juicer Giveaway!

Brand New! Efficient! Easy! A Few Quick Minutes and You're Done!

And yeah, this may perfectly describe the Bella NutriPro Juicer but...I was actually speaking about this blog post.

Because this is gonna be brief folks, as there is a comprehensive and enormously helpful NutriPro Juicer Review over at MizFit's blog.

Check it out! It will fully explain the awesomeness of this machine, plus there are lots of adorable pictures.

And just how stupid am I?  I mean, um, how just how generous am I?  I figured since I was a "blender person," and not much of a "juicer person," I'd do this as a blog giveaway because I know many of you like to juice the hell out of things and I wasn't sure I was mentally prepared to cheat on my beloved healthy smoothies. Even if it might be tempting to start spending my mornings with a thinner, lighter, sexier breakfast companion.

Resolution Reflections: Can You Believe It?

So as we wrap up the January Resolution Support Group and Giveaway, you may be wondering:

Believe what?  Believe in the invincibility of San Francisco Bay Area sports teams?

Nah, the photo above was just a handy image to use--although as a Bay Area native, I've gotta say: Go 'Niners!

What I actually mean by "it" is:

Believe in Your Own Incredible Ability to Change Your Life for the Better.

And yeah, so why is a self-confessed cranky foul-mouthed skeptic getting all trite and sappy and urging you to believe in yourself?

I know, it's kinda creepy. And possibly annoying.  (On the other hand, readers of Cranky Fitness are renowned for their patience and ability to withstand even the most annoying of blog posts.)

But as I am slowly but surely rewiring my ornery pessimistic brain circuits, I'm discovering that perky hopeful neural connections seem to work a hell of a lot better than grumpy ones when it comes to getting shit done.  And I'm really appreciating the amazing impact that positive expectations can have. Or, if not always positive, at least open-minded and curious.  (Despite much progress, I still have a crapload of work yet to do myself).

One thing I have no doubt about?  The whole "things will suck and there's nothing I can do about it" mindset is Not Helpful At All. 

Do you sometimes have trouble really believing deep down that things will go well for you?  How do you rewire a skeptical brain to be more positive and hopeful?

Rugged Reader "Rugged Reader" Giveaway"

And no, the post title is not a typo born of late night sleep-blogging. Nor is it a sign that you're suffering from double vision... though the giveaway does have an optometrical angle!

 Oh Dear!  You Can't Focus on That Lamp?

You see, this a giveaway contest for the rugged readers of Cranky Fitness who'd like to win a cool pair of compact, portable, nearly indestructible "Rugged Reader" eyeglasses. (Canadians too!)

The glasses can be clipped easily onto a pocket.  And, made of tough polycarbonate, they form their own case with rotating arms. (Arms? Wait, that sounds funny! Is there another word for the thingies that hold glasses to your face?). They cost about twenty bucks, which will either sound like a bargain or quite pricey depending on your normal eyeware buying habits.

If the video thing below works, check out the clever design. (And have no fear, you get the gist in 7 seconds and there is no annoying sound track to alert bosses or spouses that you are blogsurfing yet again).

But what if you are too young to need "cheaters?"  Lucky you!   If you don't have any needful close friends or relatives, then you're free to go about your business...

That is, unless you're brave enough to stick around to witness the graphic Eyeglass Ass-Squashing Test undertaken in the Cranky Fitness Laboratories. 

Renounce the Bounce! Holiday Sports Bra Review and Giveaway--Heart and Core

Sorry dudes, you may have little interest in hearing about the features, performance, and clever engineering of a new line of sports bras and tank tops from Heart &Core.

On the other hand…this post is all about large breasted women and their undergarments!

So here ya go:  a totally gratuitous image of female boobage NOT encased in a supportive brassiere from the Heart & Core Catalog.

You're welcome.

Also, if you're a guy, you could try to win a bra or top for your wife or girlfriend or mom or, well, for yourself if you are the owner of particularly jiggly moobs. We won't judge.

For gals, especially those who are C cups or larger, or who have post-surgical medical needs, you’ll have the chance to tame those tatas and enjoy exercising even more in the coming year. And it'snot just for U.S. residents. International folks are eligible too; we'll have 2 winners one of whom is NOT from the U.S. for a change!

Got Fitness Questions? Plus Gaiam Giveaway Winner

The Random Number Generator has spoken!

And the winner of the Gaiam TV subscription plus Yoga mat or other comparable accessory is...

Oh wait! A brief pause first before we get to that for Yet Another Blog Announcement!

A new feature which may or may not be called "Ask the Personal Trainer" is coming up at Cranky Fitness, which will probably run once or twice a month.  Since Crabby is decidedly NOT one of these well-informed creatures, she has recruited a panel of 3 actual Personal Trainers to answer your questions. Crabby may also contribute her thoughts, a fake question or two, some whining, a completely irrelevant picture of an adorable animal, and probably some swear words, just on general principle.

I'll wait to introduce them until we get started, but it's a fun, well-informed panel.

So if you've got a question for a Personal Trainer, either leave it in a comment below or email me (email address cleverly concealed on the schmooze page). 

And if you're a Personal Trainer yourself, we can always squeeze in more expert opinions, so feel free to inquire and we'll see if it's a good match!

OK, and NOW let's announce the Gaiam giveaway winner, who is.....

Booty Camp Giveaway (11 DVD's!) And Sneaky Life Coaching Promotion

So when I discovered that the Booty Camp Fitness Ultimate Home Edition 2 program was available for a Cranky Fitness giveaway, I was psyched for three reasons:

1. An at-home DVD boot camp seemed like a nifty idea and this set looked quite promising;

2. The company is based in Canada and I love all things Canadian and it means our friends up north are finally eligible to win something too, hooray!

And finally:

3. I've been on the lookout for a good giveaway to use for my own nefarious self-promotional purposes, because I'm greedy resourceful like that.


So, what's the deal with the DVD giveaway, and how much Life Coachy Crap do you have to listen to in order to find out how to win? 

OK, first things first:

What's cool about the Booty Camp Fitness Home Edition?


It comes with Eleven, Count 'em, Eleven DVD's, for a variety of workouts!

The workouts combine circuit training, cardio, core strengthening, body sculpting and yoga, and "provides daily motivation for all fitness levels."  Programs include:

• Recruit Camp – A full-body introductory beginner workout (38 minutes);
• Basic Training – Intermediate level program (40 minutes)
• Ab-salute Core Vol.2 – Abs/Core (20 minutes)
• Booty Express – For squeezing in a quick workout (20 minutes)
• Bounce ‘n’ Burn – Jump rope for a total body blast (21 minutes)
• Burn that Booty – Targeted moves for glutes and  posterior (20 minutes)
• Tank Top Toner – Upper body program. (31 minutes)
• Dynamic Cardio Conditioning – Explosive interval cardio (35 minutes)
• MMA (Major Metabolic Accelerator) – Kickboxing workout (55 minutes)
• Sun Rise Sun Stretch – To loosen and relax (32 minutes)
• Special Ops – Highly demanding workout designed to push |limits (42 minutes)

Plus, it also comes with...

Bonus Stuff!
These include a Lifestyle Guide; a healthy e-cookbook, a jump rope, and a workout calendar.

What's Not to Like, Eh?

And did I mention this a Canadian program? In my experience, Canadians are really nice and polite and easygoing and far less obnoxious than most of us Americans. 

But apparently they're also really tough!

But wait, the DVD's were filmed in Puerto Rico... So if you add the Canadian boot camp and the Puerto Rican setting and divide by two I believe you end up somewhere like Indiana? Do they even have poutine in Indiana?

Gee I wonder why they didn't film it in Canada?

Oh, um, okay.

(Gosh I bet the booty camp folks are really glad they picked this blog to host a giveaway right about now!)

How to Win the Bootcamp Program:

This is going to be another combo of Random versus Non-Random winner selection.  So you can enter just by leaving a comment below.

Or you can increase your chances by using one or more of the methods listed below. And if you do, please alert me in the comments so you get full credit!

1.  Enlighten or amuse me with your comment;
2.  Tweet about this giveaway and link here;
3.  Link to this giveaway from Facebook;
4.  Use some other newfangled social networky thing to direct people here;
5.  Be a longtime Cranky Fitness commenter or a Canadian;
6.  Email me at CrabbyMcSlacker @ gmail dot com and allow me to collect your email address for a future newsletter thingy, should I ever get off my butt and put one together.  (In the unlikely event this actually happens you'll be able to unsubscribe immediately if it turns out to be crappy).
7.  Help me with some info!  I'm going to be redesigning my coaching website and would love to know what you'd be intrigued or repelled by if you were remotely considering Life or Wellness coaching.  Concepts that resonate? Buzzwords that make you want to Barf? All good!

But again, a simple comment can be enough to win. You'll just have a better chance if you do more.  I'll pick a pool of finalists using the random number generator, then will select the winner from that group by looking at the above factors. 

Winner will be announced in a week or so; if the winner doesn't check back and respond by the deadline mentioned in the winner announcement, a new drawing will be held.



And About That Life Coaching--yep, it's time for a message from our sponsor.  Which is, um, ... Me.

Here's the deal: Summer is generally a slow time for life coaches, and I'm still building my practice.  I've been totally impressed and excited by working with clients who've come from Cranky Fitness--not surprisingly, this crowd seems to be curious, determined, smart, resourceful, and charmingly honest about the personal and life challenges they're facing.  It's been a huge relief to discover (a) Life Coaching actually seems to help people feel better about life and start taking concrete steps to move forward; and (b) that I love doing it!

But I've been fairly sucky at the marketing aspects, which I plan to work on.  Meantime:

Time For a Summer Sale!

Could you benefit from having a safe, fun, confidential and empowering place to explore ways you could move closer to the life you really want, rather than the one you may be stuck in?  You may have a goal that's easy to define  (I wanna get my butt off the couch and run a 10K!) or one that's complicated and fraught (I hate my job but have no idea WTF else I might want to do with my life!) 

You may have noticed that there are plenty of self-help books out there, but it's hard to keep motivation and momentum going with a book that doesn't give a crap how you're doing or what might be getting in your way.  And professional help, whether it be therapist, consultant, counselor, or coach, is pretty damn expensive...and there a lot of weirdos out there to be wary of.

If any of this is true, and you can whip up some motivation to get going within the next few of weeks, you may want to take advantage of the summer slowdown.  Instead of my normal Life Coaching rates for the next couple weeks I'm offering a discount.

Quick Mover Incentives: For the first three clients who get all signed up and pay, the rate for a package of five 45-minute sessions is $95 ($19 per session);

For anyone else signs up and pays by July 4th (think of it as your personal Declaration of Independence from Inertia) it's five sessions for $145. ($29 per session).


And, should you decide to you continue beyond 5 sessions, prices will not increase dramatically but will slowly move up.

To find out more about my qualifications, background, coaching philosophy etc, please visit my Not Yet Redesigned Life and Wellness Coaching website. I'm also happy to answer questions you may have via phone or email, or even offer a free 30 minute try-it-out call.

Advanced Travel Warning:  I will be house-swapping in Scotland for a good part of August (yippee!); clients who do not have Skype accounts may need to switch to email for a couple sessions or take a break depending on whether I can get reasonable phone service there.

So that's it for the commercial!


If you are a Canadian or U.S. resident, be sure to leave a comment to be eligible for the Booty Camp giveaway (sorry, Rest of the World), and good luck!

Canada Photos swiped from here; I'll be happy to credit to more original source if anyone knows of one.

Getaway Giveaway: Les Mills PUMP!

What's the "getaway" bit?"

Well, it's time for another cross-country schlep! Crabby and the Lobster will be taking off for 3 weeks or so in Fran the Van, to make their way from San Diego CA, to Provincetown MA for the summer... via Seattle.

Wait, via Seattle?  WTF?  Is there a longer route one could take to traverse this ginormous nation of ours?  Well, perhaps not. But screw it, we have friends in Seattle.

As usual, blog posting will be a bit sparse while I'm on the road, but I thought I'd leave you with a pretty awesome giveaway: a big-ass set of Les Mills PUMP exercise DVD's, complete with a barbell set so you can replicate the world-famous gym class in the comfort (or discomfort, who's to say?) of your very own home.

And hey, notice the generous way that I give my reviewer side-kick, Sinner Ella De'Ville, the can of peanuts to give away, while I hogged the glory of the $200ish Les Mills Pump workout program? I'm generous like that!

Oh and speaking of which, Sinner put the Random Number Generator through its paces, and the Virginia Cocktail Peanuts were won by: StarvingBitch!  Please email Sinner or me with your mailing address and flavor preference and we'll have 'em sent to you.  And I also wanted to alert all of you that Sinner has a new post at her blog outlining a Miracle Cure to Lose Weight, so be sure to check it out!)

Now just what make the Les Mills Pump workout such a nifty prize?

Well, for one, it comes with an impressive crapload of stuff.

Note: due to my inability to snag the image properly, you might think the package includes social media widgets, a laptop, and three deliriously happy fitness slaves to assist you in sculpting your own chiseled physique, but I'm pretty sure those cost extra.

According to the Beachbody folks (who are the clever marketing geniuses behind P90X, INSANITY, Turbo Fire and RevAbs), this Les Mills PUMP thing "relies on high reps at low weight to help users achieve lean muscles and improved strength… and allows users to burn up to 1,000 calories per workout all while staying in-tune with music that is perfectly timed to each move."

Pretty cool, no?  And if you go to the Les Mills Pump website, you can see that it comes with a bunch of different workouts, like "basics," "challenge," "pump and burn," "pump and shred," "revolution," "extreme," "flow," and "hard core abs."

But a closer look reveals even more options!  For instance, they have one designed to make you Super Tall and Scary...

As well as one that will render you Brightly Colored and Insanely Cheerful!

Sadly, you need a U.S. mailing address to win, sorry about that.

To enter, leave a comment below, and at some point on our journey I'll announce a winner and give you about a  week to get back to me with a mailing address. So don't forget to check in occasionally to see if you won.

Comments can be about anything, but if you've got any travel-related thoughts, advice, horror stories, or whatever, that might be inspirational!

While internet may be a challenge on the trip, I'll be reading comments along the way, and hope to be posting as well, whether or not I have anything interesting to say.  Lack of a sensible topic has never stopped me from blathering on before.

Adios for now and good luck on the giveaway!

Guest Bloggers Working for Peanuts--Review and Giveaway

What's way better than one of Crabby's weird product reviews and giveaways? How about an even weirder one by the infamous Sinner Ella DeVil? She will be telling you about MV Best Virginia Cocktail Peanuts and is hosting our giveaway if you want to win some. (And sorry, U.S. mailing address required, dang it).

If Sinner's name sounds familiar, it's either because you've caught one of the rare posts at her amusing blog No Illusions Here: Fitness Reality, or because you've wandered down to the Cranky Fitness comments and thought: OMG, WHO THE F--CK IS THIS WOMAN??!! And I mean that in the nicest of ways. She's awesome and her call her writing "original" is an understatement.

Are you guessing the Virginia Cocktail Peanuts people are getting a tad nervous by now?

You’re gonna LOVE my nuts!

by Sinner Ella DeVil

Greetings, Cranky Fitness readers! I’ve come to tell the tale of some delicious nuts and grace you with the chance to win your very own can of them for the low and amazingly awesome price of FREE!

You may be asking yourself, “Who is this crazy woman spouting the word synonymous with male reproductive parts?”

Let me assure you, I have plenty of wit and sarcasm to share, but for the purpose of this post, I will tone it down a LITTLE bit. I do run a half-assed fitness based blog that is sparse on post updates and will be plagiarizing myself to double post on my own blog. Let’s just move along, shall we?

Now, I’ve reeled you in with my 4th grade "You're Going to Love My Nuts" joke. What’s it all about? Well, I hope everyone here has heard of the former Slap Chop guy turned Sham Wow guy turned alleged criminal via some very bad choices. (Note from the Crab: if not, you can check out his  SlapChop infomercial, or to blast a few extra calories, dance along to the remix version)). He uses the slap chop to beat the tar out of some peanuts and use them for the infomercial. I’m not touting the amazingness that is the slap chop or the creepiness that is that dude. I am, however going to grace you with the glory that is MV’s Best Virginia Cocktail Fine Virginia Peanuts.

I had the pleasure of sampling the Cajun flavor, as I’m not big on sweet stuff. (Yeah, I know I’m a freak.) These aren’t your typical peanuts. They’re quite large and don’t have that peanutty oomph to them that we’re all used to. While they do still have the peanut taste, it’s not as strong as you would expect. And you may see that the label shows what some may think are really spicy ingredients, but I assure you that they are not “make your eyes water” spicy. The spice is quite mild and enjoyable.

These nuts are pretty big.

I have fairly large, borderline man hands.

Had I been able to stop shoving them in my face long enough, I would have chopped some up (with my knock off version of a Slap Chop) to put on a salad, but alas, I was hungry and they were MMMMmmmmmmmm Gooooooood.

There are a variety of flavors to choose from. They currently offer Sea Salt, Toffee, Jalapeno, Milk Chocolate, the above mentioned Cajun and Unsalted flavors on the Virginia Cocktail Peanuts website.

I am looking forward to trying the toffee flavor next, despite my give or take attitude toward sweet foods. And at $5 per tin, they’re reasonably affordable for that next get together on your calendar. (Or your gluttonous venture into the world of sweet and savory nuts.)

Now, if you’re allergic to nuts, avoid. DUH! But, if you like a variety of flavor, texture, and trying new stuff, I HIGHLY recommend these cocktail peanuts.

(This is me, post 4 mile run, about to stuff my face and make inappropriate yummy noises while I beat my children back with sticks and tell them to go eat fruit roll ups. After all, this is for research purposes):

Now, on to the BEST PART!!! For a limited time, you’re able to comment here, on the Cranky Fitness blog to enter to win your very own tin of delicious nuts. Below, in the comment section, just leave a note, sentence, a 4th grade joke with or without innuendo, a line of prose, or whatever letting me know what flavor you’d be interested in trying from MV’s Best and we’ll draw a winner via the ever popular and GREAT AND POWERFUL RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR. (say this out loud with the “Wizard of Oz Wizard voice” or it’s not as entertaining).

Once the winner has been drawn, we’ll announce it here and/or my slacker blog on Tuesday May 1 as well as possibly send an email to you (if your address is ascertainable), and you’ll have until Friday May 4th at around noon (give or take 3 hours depending on which coast you live on) to respond to one or both of us with your US mailing address.

Disclaimer: Should the Great and Powerful RNG decide to be a pain, one of us will just pull out a commenter from the list and notify them.

Have great day, Cranky readers and go have an adventure!

Creating "Win-Win" Situations

What the heck is a "Win-Win," anyway?

The term is frequently used by salespeople, managers, politicians, and earnest self-improvement types, which is reason enough to be suspicious. It's a concept especially likely to be introduced when you're about to get screwed over somehow.

And yet... there are true "win-win" situations in life! It is sometimes possible to have outcomes that don't involve ugly trade offs, concessions, or compromises.

In a health and fitness context, a "win-win" occurs when something that is Really Good for You also happens to be Enjoyable, and these instances are rare enough to deserve celebration. (More on that in a minute; there is actually a "real" blog post here if you persevere through the announcements).

But another example of a "Win-Win" is... when lazy bloggers who seek more interaction with readers find Sponsors with nifty Products who donate them for Giveaways which Readers can then win if they Leave Comments on the lazy bloggers giveaway posts!  (And in the case of a "best weight loss blog" poll, for instance, it's also win for the blogs that rank highly. Weirdly enough, Cranky Fitness gets tons of googlers hunting here for them).

And then there's even more of a WIN for Crabby if she can accomplish all of these goals in one relatively brief post:

1.  Announce that the Best Weight Loss Blog contest is about to close!

Go to the Best Weight Loss Blog Nomination post and comment by end the of day tomorrow (Friday, March 23rd).  If you haven't picked 10 yet, you can come back and vote for more!  And please think about (a) nominating your own blog if it's good and (b) telling your nominated blogger friends to send some fans over ASAP, because right now only one blog is doing that... and yet I have a strong sense there are other favorites among Cranky Fitness readers. The winning blog gets $50 bucks in the form of an American Express gift certificate donated by BodyLogicMD.  (And you could win one too!)

2.  Tell you about more Prizes!  

In addition to the two $50 Am Ex gift certificates, the 3 bags of Popcorn, Indiana Chip’ins and the 4 SmartForLife Protein Bars, you could also win:

eBooks that could change your life!

Tim Brownson, is, like me, a life coach, only unlike me he's gotten off his butt and gone beyond blogging to write some great ebooks.  He's a witty writer, he has tons of sage advice, and he has magnanimously agreed to offer up a copy of some ebooks. He's got a new one just out: "Aligning with Your Core Values" which will show you how to "get unstuck in life, work, and relationships." Some really helpful stuff in there! He's also offering a self-development combo pack or two of previous titles: "Don’t Ask Stupid Questions," "Don’t Panic," and "16 Ways to De-Stress Your Life."

A 24-package box of vegan strawberry Shakeolgy meal replacement/nutritional supplement shakes. 

Shakeology hails from Beachbody, the P90X people. These shakes "contain natural extracts and nutrients found in exotic plants in the most remote locations around the world."  Apparently some "strapping, 40-something Tarzan look-alike" dude named Darin Olien is responsible, and there's even a Shakeology video if you'd like to learn more.

3.  And finally, what was that about Health and Fitness "win-wins?"

In my mind, here are the 3 crucial principles for finding more healthy pursuits that you don't just put up with, but actually love.

Of course, longtime readers (or those who've wandered over to the "about" page) already know that this blog was founded on the principle that Healthy Living is a Pain in the Ass.  And if scientists were to finally invent a pill that I could simply swallow once a day to give me a healthy strong slim limber body...I'd be eating a lot more chocolate cake and logging a hell of a lot less time in the gym.

But by discovering enough golden gleaming "win-win" health and fitness options, I've managed to arrive at a state where I mostly enjoy, and am actually sometimes ludicrously ecstatic about, my mostly-healthy lifestyle. Plus, combining pleasure with "good" behavior is a source of one my favorite all time emotional states: that of smugness.

But here's what it took (for me):

1. Experimentation

I am obviously not the first person to note that you have to wander out of your comfort zone sometimes, but many of us seem to wired to resist change or at least be suspicious of it. (On the plus side, we make loyal mates and employees and rarely do impulsive things that land us in hospitals or jail cells).  But to find more and more of those enjoyable health and fitness win-wins, you gotta mix things up!  So, wander out of your comfort zone, endure awkwardness, risk embarrassment, and put up with periods of not liking something for a while until you get used to it.  Of course if you still hate it after a reasonable trial period, then by all means bail.

I could bore you with dozens and dozens of personal examples, but two off the top of my head: I now love roasted brussels sprouts and doing 10-15 minutes of my elliptical workout with no hands and eyes closed in order to practice balance and mental focus.  (Wait, what was that I said about not ending up in the hospital?) Neither of these came naturally for me.

2. Make a Substantial Investment--in time, money, and energy.

I absolutely love my playlists filled with awesome motivating songs playing at exactly the right beat for my workouts, my big-ass salads and smoothies and stir-fries full of wholesome, usually organic, and shockingly expensive ingredients, my ability to do unassisted pull-ups and chin-ups and intervals, my many and varied and beautiful walking and biking and hiking routes, my self mental self-improvement schemes and rituals designed to rewire my worrywart brain into a place of tranquility punctuated only by eager anticipation and euphoria...  none of these just "happened."  They all took time, thought, willpower and sometimes money.

The part that most "get fit and healthy" articles forget to mention:  this is all  time, thought, willpower and money that has to come from somewhere else.  THAT is the tricky part.  So, um, sometimes Win-Wins are really Win-Win-(lose) but that makes for a much less cheerful blog post, doesn't it?  So, um, just forget you read this paragraph.


3. The Willingness to Look Like A Total Ass in Front of Other People

Most people in modern society are not willing to prioritize and personalize their health and fitness goals at the expense of their social comfort.  So if you tote along your own snacks, do bizarre variations of exercises at the gym, sneak in some stretches in line at the post office, ask detailed questions about food preparation to eye-rolling waiters at snooty restaurants, describe with great enthusiasm your opinions on veganism or nutritional supplements or Zumba classes at cocktail parties... you risk looking like a weirdo.

Here's a tip: my middle age, it will seem much more obvious that (a) people are thinking more about themselves than about you and (b) those who might make judgments about how "weird" you are for caring about your health, or otherwise being true to your own values...  aren't much worth worrying about.  So save yourself a few decades of angst and inhibition and self-censorship, and just claim your own weirdness now and learn to love it!  Being "normal" is highly over-rated.

So, does anyone else have examples of stuff you love that is also good for you?  Any other ideas on how folks might discover more of these in life?

Stalking Your Mentors Plus More Giveaway Winners!

One fun benefit of having a blog, is that sometimes you get to run giveaways. And the most common method of picking winners is to use the Random Number Generator.

But I hate the horrid random number generator. Because I DO have favorite folks who comment here, and I'm intrigued by many of the new folks who stop by, and I always hope the RNG will align with my preferences and pick someone I'd love to see win! Very often, though, it doesn't.

Evil Random Number Generator!

On the other hand, I also love the Random Number Generator.  Because what happens if you don't use one? Well, you have to pick a winner yourself, and own up to that choice, and then picture all the other deserving folks who didn't win and it's all your fault 'cause it was you who didn't pick them.

That's why I  generally take the wussy way out and use the RNG. (Although this week I have to say I'm quite pleased with where it landed; and don't worry, I will eventually tell you who won the Jungle Gym XT and the Life Coaching package).

But as it happens, there is a life coach/self-improvement blogger I've been following enthusiastically, Tim Brownson, who is running a giveaway for life coach mentoring on his blog.  And he not using random number generator.  So despite the fact there are already hundreds of gazillions of contenders, I'm throwing my hat in the ring.  The guy is wicked smart, funny, inspirational, publishes useful self-improvement ebooks (some for free) and uses lots of swear words.  What's not to like?

Why am I mentioning this?  Well, Tim is just as much of a google-whore as I am, and he wants lots of potential coaches to know about his offer.   Plus, I'm sure he wouldn't mind a few new blog readers, coaching clients and ebook buyers hearing about him as well.  He's a very amusing blogger, so feel free to click on one of the links above and perhaps Tim will notice and it will help my chances of scoring his help for free.

And if you didn't win the life coaching part of the Cranky Fitness giveaway, and are interested in some life or wellness coaching, and don't want any from me despite my already affordable life coaching rates plus the limited time Cranky Fitness 50% off discount good until March 1... then Tim would make an excellent choice!  His wisdom and extra years of experience will no doubt more than make up for rather large price difference between us. And his ebooks are excellent and often either free or cheap!

Hey Tim, Lookin' Good!

OK, so enough self-promotion and mentor-stalking, let's find out won the Cranky Fitness Big Weird Giveaway, shall we?

TRX-knockoff suspension trainer

The winner is Sinner Ella De'Ville! Whose giveaway comment btw, was particularly hilarious. This doesn't usually make a difference to the RNG but apparently it was in a whimsical mood this morning.

And who won the Life Coaching Package?

Runs With Blisters!

Congrats, winners, and please email me before the end of the day Friday to claim your prize. I'm at Crabbby McSlacker @ gmail.com.

And thanks to everyone who commented at either post, I love your comments and really appreciate them.

Resolution Renovation... Plus Big Weird Giveaway!

Photo: Hypervocal.com 

Did you make some hopeful New Year's Resolutions a few weeks back? Or, if you're not the resolution sort, have you set some worthy "self-improvement" goals?

Awesome!

So.... how's that going?

Perhaps you're exceeding your wildest dreams of success.  Or maybe you're pretty well on track to be one of the meager 12% who actually keep New Years Resolutions.  If so, way to go!

But if you've already abandoned ship on your promises to yourself, or are in danger of doing so soon--don't give up just yet.  Some simple suggestions may help you get right back on track again. Or at least they'll remind you that you have plenty company in resolution-related lameness. It's not just you!

So you can either go directly to some tips on Fixing Broken New Years Resolutions, or hang out here a bit longer and find out about the rather odd double-giveaway (plus Big Discount) we have going this week...with no need for a pesky U.S. mailing address like most giveaways!

First, The Weird Prizes:

1. A Handy Portable Exercise Gizmo! 

And yes, it's a slightly-used but not-smelly-or-gross-or-anything demonstration model of a Jungle Gym XT suspension training system that would otherwise cost about a hundred bucks.  I already had a TRX when I did the review, so I haven't needed to use it myself.  I will clean and disinfect the handles and clumsily cram the thingy back into its undersized box with the accompanying DVD and mail it to one randomly chosen winner--and again, since it's coming from me personally, international folks can enter too!

2.  A package of 4 free Life Coaching sessions (plus an hour long intake) valued at $275 by a Life and Wellness coach we just happen to know!

 Hey There!

One winner will be randomly chosen, and again, you don't need to live in the U.S.  Sessions can be by cell phone, video skype call, or email, and would begin starting in March, to enable the winner a chance to fill out a form and sign a long-ass coaching contract, as well as to give the Coach a chance to skip town in late February for a family vacation.

I've been meaning to offer a 2012 coaching giveaway to Cranky Fitness readers, because they make the most awesome clients, and post-resolution season seemed as good a time as any!

3. Limited time 50% off life coaching discount:

For folks who sign up, get their forms in, and pay for a package before March 1, the Cranky Fitness 25% off discount of regular Life Coaching Rates will be increased to 50% off. (After March 1 it's back to 25% off, which is still a pretty darn good deal if you google around and compare prices. Which is sometimes a challenge because many coaches won't tell you upfront how much it's gonna cost!)

And if you get excited about the discount, sign up and pay and it turns out you win the giveaway?  No worries, your fee will be refunded to you.

Giveaway Instructions:

To enter the drawing for the suspension trainer, just leave a comment here on this post about anything in hell you feel like talking about.

To enter the drawing for the free life coaching, go to the Broken New Years Resolution post over at LiveaLittleCoaching.com and leave a comment there saying something vaguely related to resolutions or self-improvement goals. Note: if you want to leave a comment there but don't want any life coaching, you can always politely decline should you win! No need to explain exactly how unwelcome you'd find the prospect of winning in the comment itself unless you just can't help it.

Important Deadline: Drawings for both prizes will take place in about a week, and you'll have until the end of the day Friday February 17th to claim your prize.

Good luck, and hope you all are kicking resolution ass!